Smoking device



June 1, 1937.

J. c. ANDERSON SMOKING DEVICE Filed May 4, 1954 2m Z0 Md 2 E W d a Z4 1% a a1 5 i 6 WE/wa es.-

K6 wage, M5 m Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,08h9lt PATENT OFFICE.

6 Claims.

This invention relates to smoking devices and methods of making the same. I am well aware that various kinds of tamps have been invented and are available upon the market. However, all the tamps on the market have one or more disadvantages which prevents them from being carried around on the person and being used and to a large extent prevents the entire use of tampsbecause the users have fallen out of the habit of using them. The ordinary tamp on the market is objectionable because it is bulky and because it is frequently dirty and smelly in that it is impractical to keep it cleaned all the time. In addition it is objectionable because it is heavy. Another disadvantage is that it is not likely to be available because a user has forgotten to carry it about with him.

Among advantages which might be mentioned is the elimination of flying ashes which might cause fire or damage to clothing, furniture, or the person. The fire in the pipe will not die out as much and there will not be as much of relighting, a more prolonged smoke may be had, it may be made more even or smooth and easy and fuller by tamping because of the thorough draw and greater uniformity of the draft. Other advantages might be mentioned, all working to the increased satisfaction of pipe smokers.

A particular object of my invention has been to provide a tamp which will eliminate the dirtiness and smelliness of tamps and the bulkiness and weight and other objections and to that end I have invented a tamp which may be made of common cardboard or paper such as the ordinary paper matches are made of. The same paper or cardboard combination may be used or the elements thereof may be varied to give any desired consistency as will be manifest to those skilled in the art. Such paper tamp may be used once and thrown away because it is made so inexpensively that it may be given away as a souvenir, and in fact another particular object of my invention is to arrange these tamping devices in the form of a book with common match heads on one end of each tamp so that the books of what I may call the match tamping devices which I have invented may be given out as books of paper matches are now given out. When it is desired to light a pipe one of these match tamping devices may be torn out of the book just as a common paper match may be. The pipeful may be lighted and then my tampii'lgdevice may be bent in the manner hereinafter more fully described into tamping 5 5.condition and the match tamping device may be used as tamping is desired. The paper or cardboard tamp which I have invented is substantially the same weight as a paper match and when constructed according to the principle of my invention and operated according to the principle of my invention it will give all the tamping service desired. It will obviously be no bulkier than the ordinary paper match and will be carried just as easily instead of the paper matches.

Another particular object is to devise methods for making the individual match tamping devices and also for making the devices up into books of said devices, and I have devised also a book of said devices carrying common match heads with the match heads in staggered relationship and a method for making the same.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing of a concrete exemplification which has been selected to illustrate the principle of my invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the front face of a package of the devices of the preferred form of my invention in closed condition;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same showing the arrangement of my match tamping devices within the package;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a strip of the devices of my preferred form of invention stamped out and ready for assembly into a package, also illustrating the staggered relationship;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one of the match. tamping elements of the preferred form of my invention in unbent condition as yet for tampln Fig. 6 is an end view of one of the match tamp ing devices in bent condition for tamping; and

Fig. '7 shows one of the match tamping de vices applied to a pipe containing tobacco.

The form of construction which has been illustrated in the drawing to exemplify the principle of my invention includes a package or cover l0 similar to the usual box or cover of a package of paper matches, which package comprises the usual front lower flap H, front upper flap l2, and top, back, and bottom portions l3, l4, and E5, the front lower flap it being provided with the usual phosphoric or other material for igniting the match by striking.

Adapted to be contained within the package H1 is a plurality of match tamping elements. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 particularly the match tamping element in the preferred form shown includes the usual elongated portion l6 corresponding to the usual elongated portion of the ordinary paper match, having the usual lighting head ll. Provided integrally on the lower end is a tamping head l8. In the unused condition of the device the head I8 is in the same plane with the plane of the elongated portion [6 and the head I8 is in the form of a complete circle excepting that the lower end [9 of the elongated portion l6 has been slit from head [8 by means of the slits 2B and 2! as clearly shown in Fig. 5. These slits 20 and 2| extend somewhat more than half the diameter of the head l8 and by virtue of this arrangement the thumb nail may be placed at the terminals of the slits and while the head portion 18 is held fiat as on a table the portion it may be drawn upwardly against the thumb to place the device in the condition of the device shown in Fig. 6 with the elongated portion l6 projecting in an upright manner from substantially the center of the head l8. As hereinbefore stated the match tamping element may be made into books of such elements as in the case of booksof matches and may be made of paper of the necessary consistency as will be understood by those skilled in the art. By placing the elongated portion IS in the center of the head 18 in the usable condition of the match tamping device, the head l8 will be more likely to remain in the relative position shown in Fig. 7 so as to give an even and efficient tamping result as will also be manifest.

The match tamping elements may be made by stamping or by other means or methods. In Fig. 4 I have shown a sheet of the mach tamping elements which has been stamped out, i. e., there is a sheet 22 having a plurality of match tamping elements 23 and the sheet 22 may be scored centrally thereof as at 24 to form two sections 25 and 26. These sections may be bent one upon the other or broken off from each other and one placed upon the other to be stapled as shown in Fig. 2 by staples 21, in Fig. 2, however, there being four portions of match tamping elements shown stapled together and to the package. Referring again to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the match tamping elements 23 are so cut or stamped out that the match tamping elements of one portion will be staggered relative to the match tamping elements of another portion when the two portions are placed one upon the other. This fact will be plainly seen from the fact that looking at Fig. 4 the distance 28 of the first match tamping element from the leftmost end of the portion 25 is not as great as the distance 29 of the first match tamping element of the portion 26 from the scoring 24. The staggered relationship is shown in the composed condition of the match tamping elements as shown in Fig. 3 where the heads 30 of the nearest portion or sheet of match tamping elements are shown with the heads 3| of the match tamping elements of the farther removed portion or sheet of match tamping elements positioned not behind the heads 30 but more or less between the heads 30.

It will be seen that I have by my invention provided a tamping device for pipes in a form like the form of a book of matches. It is so inexpensive that it can be given away free as a book of matches is given. Not only may it be given free in contrast with the cost of the usual tamping device now on the market, but the inconvenience of carrying on the person the usual metal tamping device (which is usually combined with three or four other parts such as scrapers, ramrods, et cetera) is eliminated as the tamping devices and matches are one and there can be no more objection to carrying the tamping devices than there is to carrying a book of paper matches. The bulkiness, the dirt, and the smell of tamping devices have resulted in almost total discontinuance of carrying said de-- vices on the person, and as a matter of fact have also resulted in almost complete disuse of the tamping devices now on the market entirely because people who have gotten out of the habit of carrying them have also gotten out of the habit of using them at all. Also the disagreeable and time consuming difficulty of cleaning the old devices is eliminated. Bulkiness, dirt, and smell are eliminated because no bulk is added to the match book and there is no dirt or smell because the tamp is thrown away. At the same time, in spite of the elimination of all the foregoing disadvantages with respect to cost, bulk, dirt, and smell, an effective paper tamp is produced which experience has conclusively shown is perfectly eflicient with respect not only to the strength of the device but also with respect to the position of the head and the evenness of the tamp.

As will be manifest the method of use of the device is simple. One of the match tamping elements is pulled out of the book of match tamping elements in muchthe same manner that a match would be pulled out of a book of paper matches, and the head is struck on the: usual igniting material on the front lower flap of the cover I0. After the tobacco is lighted in the pipe any flame left on the match tamping element may be blown out and then as needed the tamp may be used to evenly pack the ashes in the pipe.

It will be understood of course that in the usual practice the pipe smoker will have no objection to using his finger to pack the tobacco into his pipe as there is no danger of dirt or burning before the tobacco is lighted, and the finger will naturally be used to pack the to bacco into the pipe therefore at the time the tobacco is hardest to pack, i. e., before it is burned at all. After the pipe is lighted and as the tobacco burns, throughout the entire smoke, the tamp may be then utilized to tamp the ashes and tobacco. By means of my device the much lost art of tamping may well be revived to the immensely increased satisfaction of pipe smokers.

As hereinbefore stated the form illustrated is not my invention but merely a concrete exemplification selected to illustrate the principle of my invention. The device shown may be used to accomplish the purpose of my invention or other equivalent forms may be used for the purpose.

While I have illustrated and described this concrete exemplification which was selected for the purpose of illustration of the principle of my invention, my invention of course is not limited to this exemplification, but may be changed in numberless respects without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth but desire to avail myself of all of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tamp for tobacco pipes, said tamp being made of paper or the like, including an elongated portion, said elongated portion having an integral head formed in the same plane with said elongated portion, said head being slitted so as to permit said elongated portion to be bent by a single bend to a plane perpendicular to the plane of the head and centrally thereof.

2. A tamp for tobacco pipes, said tamp being made of paper or the like, including an elongated portion, said elongated portion having an integral head formed in the same plane with said elongated portion, said head being provided with slits extending from the edge of said head to a central point therein so as to permit said elongated portion to be bent by a single bend to a plane perpendicular to the plane of the head.

3. A smokers article comprising a plurality of disposable tamps detachably secured to a holding strip and each having a head portion and a handle portion, said head portion being secured to said handle portion centrally of the head portion, and said tamps being adapted to be torn from said strip and the head portion bent on the handle portion.

4. A smokers article comprising a plurality of disposable tamps each having a head portion and a handle portion, said tamps being detachably secured to a mounting strip and adapted to be torn loose therefrom for use and readily bent at a central portion of the head, said central portion being at the junction line of said head and handle portions.

5. In a device of the kind described, a plurality of tamping elements connected to a strip, each tamping element including a narrow elongated portion and a head formed integrally, said elongated portion being in the same plane with said head and adapted to be bent centrally of said head to a plane perpendicular to the plane of said head and said tamping elements being adapted to be readily separable from said strip.

6. A tamp for tobacco pipes, including an elongated portion and an integral head, said elongated portion being of same width throughout its length and said head being wider than said elongated portion, said head being adapted to be positioned at substantially a right angle to said elongated portion, whereby the said head may be used as a tamp, and said head being detachably secured toa mounting strip, the elongated portion, head and strip lying in the same plane prior to separation of the elongated portion and head from said strip.

JAMES C. ANDERSON. 

